The Space Foundation's 26th National Space Symposium, which runs April 12 to 15 at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado, will feature NASA Administrator Maj. Gen. Charles Bolden, Jr., USMC (Retired). The head of the U.S. space program, who began his duties last July, will speak about the future of NASA as he steers his organization through perhaps the most critical juncture his organization has faced in its 51-year history.

Bolden's 34-year Marine Corps career included 14 years with NASA's Astronaut Office, as an astronaut and in a number of technical assignments, including overseeing safety efforts for the return to flight after the 1986 Challenger accident; serving as lead astronaut for vehicle test and checkout at the Kennedy Space Center; and serving as assistant deputy administrator at NASA Headquarters. Between 1986 and 1994, Bolden flew four space shuttle missions, commanding two. His flights included deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope and the first joint U.S.-Russian shuttle mission.

A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Bolden flew more than 100 combat missions in North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia while stationed in Thailand from 1972-1973. During his career, he served as deputy commandant at the U.S. Naval Academy; deputy commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the Pacific; and commanding general of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Forward in support of Operation Desert Thunder in Kuwait. He was promoted to major general in 1998 and named deputy commander of U.S. Forces in Japan. He served as commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California, before retiring from the Marine Corps in 2003. His many military decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2006.